Daily Inspiration 2-2-18

"We need only to align 

 our thoughts with appreciation, 

 for contentment 

is not so much a state of affairs 

as it is a state of mind." 

-- Alan Cohen 

[Classic post from 10-10-16]

I love to quote Alan Cohen because he is prolific, so there's a lot of wise tidbits available, yet mainly it is his divine point of view. He sees the world as I want to see it, and I am more each day. He expresses the calm understanding that James Allen talks about, and that I have long desired. He does all of this with a style of writing that is smooth going down and delightful in my digestion.

I've read many of his books but had never read his first book the launched his career--a career that I might like to refer to as a common sense spirituality master. As Jesus did his teaching with parables, Alan shares his down to earth spiritual thoughts with little stories. His first book from 1981 is, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore -- Living Fully, Loving Freely. Even today it is still selling well. I'm only part way through but I'm not in a hurry as I am savoring each paragraph because it is delightful.

The quote above came from the chapter, Enough Is Enough. It's not about getting fed up, but more like realizing the wealth in all things is already within. He talks about the difference between the unhappy ones who are always seeking, while only those who are constantly finding are fulfilled. "And finding is not something that happens to us--it is something we do." 

But here is what I want to bring out of the early part of this chapter that I find a great value in and have practiced myself. He says, "For the past few years, I have been practicing a very powerful mantra: "Perfect!" He says it is not a mantra to use in meditation, although it certainly could be used that way, but is a mantra to use in our daily lives.

I use, "Perfect!" often, and also, "Excellent!" It doesn't matter what it is that is going on around me, it only matters how I process it. Alan says, "It's not so much what we do that counts, but what we think about what we do." So to resolve in our mind that whatever it is really is perfect, makes it perfect, even if it wouldn't have normally been to our liking. It's a point of view and one that we may not have normally taken, but as we do so, the world around us changes. Wayne Dyer said that "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." And, I can tell you from personal experience this is absolutely true.

It's about perspective and our thoughts about that perspective that guides us throughout our days.


Perfect! Excellent! I Am Enough! I Am Injoying Myself! What A Wonderfully Magical Day! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by aligning our thoughts with appreciation today. It is love, joy, peace, contentment, and more in that one word.